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Posted on January 28, 2014 by Sarah — 1 Comment

Magenta, Teal and Burnt Orange French Provincial Chairs – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hello from the busy, boisterous FunCycled world. It’s been another crazy week where I did more traveling and home decorating for my friend Marcie. Please feel bad for me, I had to leave warm sunny Florida and return home to single digit temperatures and snow. It was so so hard to do. ;) A huge thanks to Marcie for having me visit to help decorate her new home (a good excuse to get together, I’d say). Here we are, about to say hi to the famous Florida manatee.

And apparently molesting a manatee is an issue in Florida. Please just read the sign. ;)

And took just a couple of hours to enjoy the beach!

Back to NY I came after what felt like a blink of an eye. Boy do I miss Marcie and her 4 little kiddos. Now that you’re all filled in on my week, let’s talk furniture shall we?

I bought these chairs last summer because I knew what they could be. You should have seen my mom and I trying to fit these in her Subaru. lol Funny stuff!

Here they are before.

Jessica reached out to me about a hutch for her library which became our Teal and Chartreuse Hutch Turned Library. While she was checking out the barn, she looked at this chair set and thought it would work well with her huge rustic farm house table.

I loved the lines of these chairs, but the bases of the chairs needed to be completely rebuilt. We painted each chair Benjamin Moore Navajo White, built new bases by cutting wood to the shape of the seats, added all new high density foam cushioning and reupholstered them with coordinating velvet fabric. There were a total of 6 chairs – two magenta, two teal and two burnt orange. All of those colors are in Jessica’s dining room curtains.

I can’t tell you how much fun it’s been working with Jessica. She’s such a delight! Every time I bring a new delivery, I hope for a clap and squeal of delight from her. We were walking out after one delivery lately and John looked at me and said, “Are you happy?” I said, “Yes. Why?”. “You got your clap and squeal” he said with a boyish grin. Yes, that’s what I was going for! :)

Here they are in her dining room with the chartreuse buffet that we just finished for her as well. ;)

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today!

Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

Posted on January 21, 2014January 20, 2014 by Sarah

Black and White Hutch

Good morning friends! How was your week? Since I was out of town a week ago, this past week was hectic to say the least. It’s been so fun though. I promised you new pieces, but I put them on my sale page and they sold before I could post about them. This is a very good thing!!! Thank you everyone for your enthusiasm. It’s so encouraging.

Today’s Tuesday’s Treasures is a makeover that you may have already seen the after before the “before”, as I recently posted this piece on our Furniture For Sale page. So if you’re interested in purchasing it, please check out the for sale page to see if it’s still available.

Here’s the hutch before!!! Pretty…umm… ugly.

We lightly sanded it and painted it using a black enamel from Benjamin Moore. To brighten it up we painted the back white. Then we sanded the edges to distress it a bit. We had filled all of the original knob and drawer pull holes so that we could add all new hardware. I ended up getting all of this hardware from Lowe’s. I think the hardware is the most dramatic part about this makeover. Some people don’t like spending the extra for new hardware, but I always try to encourage it if I think it will make a major difference. The hardware on this piece was about $100.

Here it is after:

LOVE LOVE this makeover. If you love it too, remember it’s FOR SALE!

Thank you for checking out our site. I’ll be adding quite a few new pieces to our Furniture For Sale page this week so keep an eye out!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Sarah — 1 Comment

Teal Mid-Century Modern Buffet

Hi!! How’s 2014 treating you all so far? I feel like it’s been a month since last week’s Tuesday’s Treasures. I flew out to Michigan to help my friend Sarah pick paint colors and decorations for her new home. And we did some rearranging to make better use of her space and add visual interest. It was a wintery fairyland out there. Snow welcomed me on Saturday and didn’t stop until Wednesday… the day I was supposed to leave. Seeing Sarah made all of the travel hoopla and freezing cold weather worth while.

Since I was away longer than expected, I’m keeping this week’s Tuesday’s Treasures on the shorter side. :)

Jessica and Brent stopped over to look at a hutch we had on our for sale page. When they came I found out that she wanted to use it for a library so off we went to the barn to show them this hutch which seemed like it could become more library”esque” than the hutch that was for sale. Here it was before.

First we removed the top doors and filled in the holes where the hinges once were. Then we removed the back to paint it with Benjamin Moore’s Split Pea 2146-30. The main part of the hutch we painted with Benjamin Moore’s Jade garden 2056-20 and then glazed with Valspar’s antiquing glaze.

We also filled the holes from the original handles and bought these beauties from Home Depot.

The hardware, color choice and finish were meant to give this piece a modern feel with an Asian flair. My camera broke while photographing this hutch so the pictures don’t even do it justice. We also installed lighting in the top to give an extra pop of visual interest for their in-home library.

Thank you for checking out our site. I’ll be adding quite a few new pieces to our Furniture For Sale page this week so keep an eye out!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on January 7, 2014January 7, 2014 by Sarah

My Favorite Furniture Projects 2013

Last week I showed you all of the post popular furniture posts in 2013 as voted by you (page views)! This week I thought I would share my favorite furniture makeovers of 2013. Only one actually made it on both lists, so hopefully you’ll see a couple of pieces you missed. ;)

click on any of the pictures to see the original blog post

1st Place – Hot Pink and Grey Secretary Desk

This wasn’t a complicated repair or change to the function of the piece, but I fell in love with the pop of hot pink on the inside of this desk. So beautiful!!!

2nd Place – Navy Number Dresser

Carly was the best to work with on this project! I love the creative liberty she gave me to create this number dresser. The pictures don’t do it justice and I sure would have loved to have kept this one.

3rd Place – File Cabinet Turned Mud Room Bench

From the day we unloaded this old oak file cabinet I really really wanted to redo it into a hall tree bench. So when Laurie stopped by to pick up a different piece and asked my plans for it, I was thrilled to share and even more excited that she wanted me to redo it for her!!

4th Place – My Grandma’s Vanity

This one made it into my top 10 list not only because I love the color and look of it, but also because it was my grandmother’s and thus, it holds a special place in my heart.

5th Place – Navy and Cream Secretary Desk

I must be into a pop of unexpected color in secretary desks this year because this one melts me, too.

6th Place – From an Old Oak Dresser to a Modern Eye Catcher

This makeover caught my eye as a favorite because I loved how something so old looking became a modern and fun eye catching piece.

7th Place – Loretta’s Lovely Armoire

This armoire was a fun makeover because just a pop of color and some wooden onlays made such a dramatic transformation.

8th Place – Fern Buffet

I thought this buffet was so ugly to begin with, but I absolutely love the fern design which launched it into my top ten this year.

9th Place – Grey and Cream Hutch

My great Aunt Alice’s hutch sat in my barn for over a year before coming up with a way to make it come back to life. I really wondered whether I could make it lovely again so it was a pleasant surprise that the transformation was so drastic that it made it into my top 10 and your top 10.

10th Place – White Chair Makeover

The lines and shape of this chair caught my eye from day one. Then the owner Beth told me I could do whatever I wanted with it. I could pick out any color or fabric and redo it for her. I almost never get that much creative freedom with customer orders so I was thrilled to the gills to play with this one. Mom reupholstered the back for me and I lalalove this transformation. Which one is your favorite?? Or did I miss one of your favorites??

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah ;)

Posted on December 31, 2013November 11, 2014 by Sarah

2013 Most Popular Furniture Makeovers

Happy New Year’s Eve!! One of the things I look forward to each year is putting together the furniture pieces that had the most page views this year. Some surprised and there were others that I wondered why they didn’t make the cut. It’s like a fun walk down memory lane. Since one day won’t change the outcome, I thought I’d share a day early the most popular furniture makeovers in 2013. Click on any photo to take you to the original post.

1st Place – Coral Ombre’ Dresser

This modern makeover took Pinterest by storm and was featured Country Living magazines flea market haul.

2nd Place – Vintage Teal Hutch

Moving from 1st place last year to 2nd place this year… and only 1 of 2 that made it back into the top ten… it’s our Vintage Teal Hutch. This piece was featured on Domino Magazine’s facebook page and also went crazy on Pinterest.

3rd Place – Electric Fuchsia Dresser

This beauty was featured on the Better After blog.

4th Place – Big Black Hutch

This hutch was definitely a top classic in my book this year. Such a transformation and this one was also featured on Country Livings website!

5th Place – Grey and White Hutch

This was definitely my most requested hutch this year. So many people emailed or called asking to buy it even after it was already sold. This was originally my great aunt’s hutch so it made me happy to see that everyone liked how we breathed new life into it.

6th Place- An Old Door Turned into a Coat Hanger

This makeover was featured on the Better After blog and went crazy on Pinterest, too.

7th Place – Pink Princess Dresser

I loved this makeover and was not surprised to see it in the top ten because so many people have said how much they loved it. It, too, was featured on the Better After blog.

8th Place – Orange Love Bird Cedar Chest

The piece with the best story in my book. You’ll have to check out the post to read all about the story. ;)

9th Place- Valentine’s Day Red Hutch

This hutch was a beauty! I guess everyone likes to look at hutch transformations. This one was also featured on the BetterAfter Blog.

10th Place- Aqua and Milk Chocolate Desk

This desk was featured on blogs all around the world!! It was one of our first pieces so it’s nice that it’s still getting attention – almost like a classic to us here at FunCycled.

Thanks to all of you for reading the story behind each piece, for being so encouraging, for buying our pieces. John was able to quit his job to work full time with me here at FunCycled and we were able to expand into interior design, color consultations and interior painting. NONE of that would be able to happen without God’s blessing and your help! Have a wonderful 2014!!!!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

If you like what you see, please like FunCycled’s Facebook page to keep up to date on the newest finds, vote on colors and give your input on our creativity. There is a box at the top right of this page to enter your email address in to receive notifications by email when I post something new on this blog. Please sign up today! Last but not least, let us customize a furniture piece for you. We create custom furniture and will deliver for customers in upstate NY and will also ship throughout the US. Send us a note with what you would like using our contact page. Or buy something that we’ve already designed from our furniture for sale page.

Posted on December 24, 2013December 24, 2013 by Sarah

Chair Makeovers – Tuesday’s Treasures

Happy Christmas Eve!! If you’ve stopped by today, thank you so much! I’m sure your schedule is pretty booked today so it means a lot to us that you came to see what’s up here at FunCycled. From our family to yours, we would like to say Merry Christmas! This is our favorite time of year. So much to celebrate!

Since things have been so hectic here as well and I’d like to spend extra time with my family this week, I thought I would quickly share some chair makeovers that we have done over the past few months. Some I have before pictures and some don’t. Either way… hope you enjoy them and they inspire you!

First, I love these Bentwood chairs from Jack’s Oyster house in Albany. Ali reached out to us to have us buy them from Jack’s Oyster house and redo it with paint and amazing fabric. The paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Copper Patina. We painted and distressed it and then reupholstered the chairs with Martha Flood Design fabric. I LOVE this fabric. It was great to work with and it is part of Martha’s “The Woodland Collection” which was inspired by New England landscape.

This chair was painted with Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White and reupholstered.

This is probably my favorite chair makeover this year. What a transformation, right???

These bar stools have been painted with Benjamin Moore’s Bainbridge Blue, glazed and sealed.

Thanks again for stopping by!! Have an awesome Christmas!!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Sarah

Decorator’s White Hutch – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi! Thanks for stopping by despite how busy I’m sure you all are right now!! We’ve been equally busy here with lots of custom furniture orders, interior painting, home staging and color consults. I’m seriously loving all the different things we’ve been able to be a part of and the wonderful people we are privileged to work with.

On a family note, my kids have been loving making cookies and watching Christmas movies at night. It’s so cute to me, but I’m pretty sure I might have gained 20 pounds this week. lol Yummy cookies… you are irresistible to me. :)

Last week’s Tuesday’s Treasures was a red piece to keep things festive. This week, I was scrolling through some of the pictures from past projects and came across this beautiful hutch that isn’t red or green, but I love it so much and was surprised that it hadn’t made its way onto the Tuesday’s Treasures list earlier. AND since it’s been snowing all week here and I have white on the mind, I thought a white piece could be festive in its own way. There is nothing quite as beautiful as Christmas lights/decorations with a blanket of sparkling white snow as a back drop. Then after Christmas – it’s OK if the whole snow thing is done :).

Here’s the before picture of the hutch.
This piece had already been redone once. Can you tell by the smeared stain that doesn’t look quite original? ;) We decided to take off some of the detailing on the doors and the decorative metal on the glass, paint it all Benjamin Moore’s decorators white, add crystal hardware, and give it a medium/heavy distressing. We did this piece for a customer named Jackie. I heart Jackie. I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like, but every time we do it’s like we’ve been pals forever and I could chat and chat with her. Miss you Jackie! ;)

Here are the after pictures and ohhhhh how I love this one.

If you’re in upstate NY and are enjoying the snow as much as my hubby and kids, hopefully this will be another beautiful reminder of what’s outside. If you’d rather not be in the snow like me, well let’s enjoy its color from inside with a cup of hot chocolate, shall we?

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

Posted on December 10, 2013December 10, 2013 by Sarah

Red Dry Bar and a Gingerbread House – Tuesday’s Treasures

Good morning friends! The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is definitely here. For that reason, I have to keep this Tuesday’s Treasures a little shorter than normal. Not to mention, I have to get my quarterly taxes done today, too. Fun times! lol

This week we made a gingerbread house with the kids. They were beyond excited!! John did the icing (it’s nice to be married to someone with a culinary arts degree for a projects like this), I did very little but definitely claim the wreath on the front door as my design help, and the kids placed the candy. It was a fun morning!

And for a very festive makeover, I bring you a dry bar that looks so outdated, but we brought it back to life with new hardware and Benjamin Moore’s Caliente red AF-290 paint. Here it is before!

We did this one a little differently. We started by painting the whole thing black and then painting red over the top. Then I distressed it with a medium distressing to show the black underneath instead of just the wood.

This piece went to a couple who serve our country. Thank you for the order Christina!! I hope you enjoy this piece in your dining room for years to come!! Ready for the after?

And a side by side in one photo for those of us who love to pin things on Pinterest. :)

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

Posted on December 3, 2013 by Sarah

White Chic Dresser Set – Tuesday’s Treasures

Hi Friend!!

I hope you all had a family or friend filled Thanksgiving day. Ours was definitely that with 14 members of my family around the dinner table. The more families I meet, the more thankful I am for mine. It is such a blessing to have parents who still love each other and act like they’re on their honeymoon after over 35 years. It means so much to have two brothers and a sister who are funny, but still compassionate. We are all still in love with God and active in church not because we feel like it earns us favor with God but because we WANT to. We love serving and rejoicing with other Christians. I know that’s not the “normal” anymore and every time we get together, I’m reminded of God’s grace and mercy. He blessed me with this amazing gift called family and family in its most pure form with respect and love. I can’t let a Thanksgiving post go by without saying how truly thankful I am for them.

As for the furniture, this week we took a mix of a couple different pieces and put them together to make a cute little bedroom set. First the dresser is a good example of how handles can make a piece. I bought this little dresser from a woman named Rita who lives just down the road from me. She was super sweet and couldn’t wait to see what we could do with the piece. We hope you love it Rita! ;)

Here’s the before picture:

It needed some love to say the least. We had to build a new back for it to give it more support and repair surface damage as well. Jill (who has bought other pieces from us already) saw it on our upcoming projects page and wanted to customize it for her home. I used Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White and turned it into chalk paint. Then I brush painted it on. Jill wanted a super chippy distressed look so I used an orbital sander and distressed it quite a bit to make it look old again. It’s amazing the difference between an “old” distressed look and a “new” distressed look. I definitely prefer the new, don’t you? Jill ordered the knobs from Signature Hardware and I love loved them!!

Here it is after!

Then Jill noticed the matching antique end stands. I don’t know if you all know this, but it’s pretty hard to find matching antique end stands!! I don’t know why, people always ask me for them and I have such a hard time finding them. So, my blessedometer was off the charts when my friend Sarah’s dad asked if I would be interested in this matching end stand set. Yes please, Norm!! I love this guy!! He’s sweet as can be and is always trying to think of new ways to help our business. Not to mention he calls me his other daughter. ;)

Here they are before.

We painted them the same way as the dresser and then also sealed them both with a clear coat of polyacrilic for protection. Remember you should always seal chalk paint with something (wax or poly).

Here they are after! I hope you like them Norm and Marilyn! Thanks for being such a blessing to us already! So so thankful for you guys!

ANNNDDDD the whole set together, shall we??

I hope you all have a great week and try not to be too busy that you forget about the reason for this Christmas season.

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

Posted on November 26, 2013November 26, 2013 by Sarah

The Rachael Ray Show and a Navy Secretary Desk – Tuesday’s Treasures

So many fun things have happened in the last week!! I can’t wait to share everything with you. Let’s start with the furniture this time around in case you’re here more to check out the before and afters than you are to read about my life week to week. ;) This secretary desk came from my friend Jo Ann’s friend Chris who wanted to sell it as she was moving to sunny Florida. She’s had it for years and years and it meant so much that she thought of us to make old look new, with some artistic flair and paint. Pretty much as soon as I put it on our Upcoming Projects page, Ann snatched it up! She loved it and we went back and forth about design but landed at painting the interior Benjamin Moore’s Navajo White and the exterior Benjamin Moore’s Symphony Blue. I turned the blue into a chalk paint so when I distressed it, there wouldn’t be white popping through from the primer. You don’t have to prime when you use chalk paint. After painting it, I very lightly distressed it and glazed it with Valspar’s antiquing glaze.

Here it is before!

And after some love!

We used the original hardware and just spray painted it oil rubbed bronze by Rustoleum.

Love, l.o.v.e. how this one came out!! Thank you so much for the business Ann! Wait until you see her second project. It’s a beauty too!

Ready to hear about my day in NYC on the Rachael Ray, “Thanks for Giving” show?? I like pictures, so I’m going to run through the day with pictures! Oh, and a couple of people have asked why I was on the Rachael Ray show. They invited me because of my 30 Random Acts of Kindness on my 30th birthday. I found out after the fact that my sister submitted my story as a local hero. Thank you!!

On my way to NYC on the 5:55am… so tired.

Guess who came with?? My friend Sarah… Love this girl!

A quick picture before we got off the train.

Quick funny story about the train ride. We were coming into the city with about 20 minutes to spare. My friend Krista told me she was on the same train. We went up to say hi and then I decided to use the bathroom quickly. I started going to the bathroom and the train hit it’s breaks and a group of people were at the door waiting to exit into NY Penn. Well, the bathroom door swung open while I was peeing… and everyone was right there. Awesome! lol I waddled up and pushed the door closed, then came back and my bracelet broke off and dropped into the toilet. To take it out or not to take it out?? That is the question… yup, just got that baby so I took it out. Don’t judge people!!! lol I started washing it and then the announcer says to exit the train!! Oh my word! I had to rinse it as quickly as I could and run out of the train so I didn’t miss the stop. That woke me up a bit and kept me laughing for a good couple of minutes.

First stop… Caffe’ Bene!! Yummy goodness. I like there white mocha and organic croissant filled with cream cheese.

Then off we went to get in line at the show. First things first, sign your life away to the Rachel Ray show. Check.

Up next, meet some heroes in line. Loved getting to know Kathleen and Julie. They made me part of their group and I felt right at home with them.

Photo from: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/gallery/16739_Thanks_for_Giving_Heroes_M_O/index.html

Then 120 local heroes were brought together as the audience members of the Rachael Ray show. We all had no clue that this was a giveaway show.

Photo from: rachaelrayshow.com

You can watch the very quick part of my interview on this video if you missed the show: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/lifestyle/16795_Our_Thanks_for_Giving_Show_with_Our_Biggest_Giveaways/index.html

If you did get to watch the show, you know how many amazing things they gave to us! I wish I had a way to say thank you with more than just a “thank you” to Rachael Ray and all of her staff. They were kind, caring and a couple even remembered my name and specifically said hi on Wednesday and I left with a couple hugs. Truly a special memory!!

Then reality hit… I had to carry around a ton of merchandise throughout NYC for the rest of the day. #1 problem… how do I carry it all? #2 I hope I don’t get mugged. lol Here I am coming out of the studio.

Sarah and I headed off to find something to carry it all and bought this dolly at Jack’s.

We grabbed a late lunch at Freidman’s. It’s a great place to eat with someone who is gluten free like my Sarah. ;) Almost anything could be made gluten free. It was amazing!!! I loved the atmosphere, too.

Then we headed to SOHO to do some shopping. I love SOHO so much!! It made me want to leave real life and move there and open a furniture shop. I stopped by one chic furniture shop and loved this cute pink couch. Super cute, right?

Shopping in SOHO took the rest of the time that we had in the city. Before we left we also tried some cupcakes and had a chai latte. It was an amazing day!! Sarah was just like icing on the cake. She made an amazing day even better. It was a day filled with laughs, love and lots of design envy. ;) Thanks for carrying my stuff around with me Sarah. A girl couldn’t be more blessed!!

Also, thanks so much to everyone for all the sweet notes on our Facebook fan page and for texting me to see how everything went. You all know how to make a girl feel loved!! For realz.

Until next week friends!

Happy redesigns everyone,
Sarah

1st Place – Hot Pink and Grey Secretary Desk

2nd Place – Navy Number Dresser

3rd Place – File Cabinet Turned Mud Room Bench

4th Place – My Grandma’s Vanity

5th Place – Navy and Cream Secretary Desk

6th Place – From an Old Oak Dresser to a Modern Eye Catcher

7th Place – Loretta’s Lovely Armoire

8th Place – Fern Buffet

9th Place – Grey and Cream Hutch

10th Place – White Chair Makeover

2nd Place – Vintage Teal Hutch

4th Place – Big Black Hutch

5th Place – Grey and White Hutch

6th Place- An Old Door Turned into a Coat Hanger

7th Place – Pink Princess Dresser

8th Place – Orange Love Bird Cedar Chest

9th Place- Valentine’s Day Red Hutch

10th Place- Aqua and Milk Chocolate Desk

Sarah Trop